Definition of Retrospective

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

Retrospective: Looking backward on the past, on what has already taken place. A retrospective study looks backward in time, usually using medical records and interviews with patients who already known to have or have had a disease.